Judges 6:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In this can be observed the evidence that the stone represented the embodiment of Christ, as it is stated, ‘They drank of the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.’ This speaks not of His Divinity but of His Humanity, which nourishes the parched hearts of the people with the never-ending stream of His blood. It was foretold in the sacrament that our Lord Jesus, through the sacrifice of His Flesh, would eradicate the sins of humanity, including not only past transgressions but also the desires of the soul.

The angel did not take pleasure in the glory of God but performed the duties of a priest, striking the stone with his staff and presenting the burnt offering through a wondrous fire.

While Jerabalus, also known as Gideon, was grinding wheat, he encountered an angel. Following the angel's command, he promptly prepared a goat, arranged the meat and unleavened bread on a stone, and poured out the broth. The angel then touched the offering with his staff, causing fire to emerge from the stone and consume the sacrifice. This act symbolizes the process of winnowing the wheat, representing the righteous discernment that separates the grains of virtue from the chaff of vice. The angel’s actions illustrate this truth, as the more individuals cleanse themselves of the external, the more the Lord reveals profound internal realities to them.

Gideon made an offering to the Lord upon the rock. The angel of the Lord extended the end of the staff, igniting fire from the rock, and there appeared meat and unleavened bread. The book of Leviticus specifies sacrifices that may seem at odds with this, as noted in Lev. 1:5: "Let the sons of Aaron the priests bring blood, and let them shed blood upon the altar round about."

EXPLANATION. In presenting a sacrifice to the Lord, Gideon received direct acknowledgment from the Lord Himself as He assumed the role of the priest in accepting this offering. Although at that moment, according to the Mosaic law, Gideon was not performing the sacrifice through a priest from the Aaronic line, it illustrates that he acted under divine insight and inspiration from God.

The messenger of the Lord, who received the offering, also serves as the high priest. This high priest requires neither wood nor flames to set the offering ablaze. With the tip of the unusual staff He held, He lightly touches the offering, and immediately fire erupts from the rock where it rested, consuming the sacrifice, and the high priest vanishes from Gideon’s view. The miraculous ignition of the offering, coupled with the sudden departure of the angel, provided Gideon with undeniable proof that the Lord had manifested to him in the likeness of a traveler.